Penn Will 'Eviscerate Academic Freedom as We Know It'

Amy Wax has provided a perfect test case for accessing the state of academic freedom. On paper, just about any college would be lucky to have her. She earned both an MD and a JD, argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court, and then became a law professor at a top college for three decades. But in practice, the university where she teaches--the University of Pennsylvania (Penn)--is trying its best to get rid of her. Penn recently decided to strip her of a chaired professorship, suspend her for a year at half pay, and deny her summer pay for the rest of her life. What did Wax do to deserve such punishment? She said politically incorrect things about race and culture. The most controversial undisputed remarks centered around statements that she had not seen many black students graduate at the top of the law school where she teaches and that to preserve American culture and values, the country should limit immigration from cultures that are vastly different. There are also several alleged statements that are either disputed or distorted by selective editing to appear more inflammatory.